Geography of Bahrain
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The
Bahrain Island accounts for about 78% of the kingdom's land area, comprising 604 square kilometers (233 sq mi). It is 48 kilometers (30 mi) long from north to south and at its widest point stretches 16 kilometers (10 mi) from east to west. The island is surrounded by several of the Middle East's large petroleum fields and commands a strategic position amid the Persian Gulf's shipping lanes.
Geographical setting and islands
Following the return of Janan to Qatar in March 2001, the state of Bahrain consists of 33 natural islands in the Bahrain Islands archipelago.
Around most of Bahrain is a relatively shallow inlet of the Persian Gulf known as the
One author writes about the geology of the nation: "Bahrein lies on a portion of the ancient Tethys Ocean geosynclinal belt represented today by the Persian Gulf. The formation of the principal island is the result of pressure from the mountain masses of Persia against the crystalline platform of central Asia, the thrust being absorbed by gentle folding in the geosynclines. The structure of Bahrein is that of a large, single, closed dome covering the entire faulting".
Rocks exposed at the surface consist of:
- Recent sands and coquinas forming flat, raised beaches surrounding the island from which the surface rises gradually to an elevation 150 to 200 feet above sea level. At this point it breaks away into inward-facing cliffs eighty to one hundred feet high completely surrounding an oval central depression about twelve miles long and four wide.
- Pleistocene sands, cross-bedded and probably wind-deposited, lying in the canyon.
- Miocene silicious clay covering a very limited area.
- Eocene limestone covering most of the island, the central region of which, known as “Jabal Dukhān “Mountain of Smoke”, rises to a point 439 feet above sea level. The limestone is very porous and is the source of most of the water in the northern half of the island.[3]
In addition to
Climate
Bahrain features an
Bahrain receives little precipitation.
Climate data for Bahrain International Airport (1991–2020, extremes 1946–2012) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 31.7 (89.1) |
34.7 (94.5) |
40.0 (104.0) |
41.7 (107.1) |
46.7 (116.1) |
46.6 (115.9) |
47.4 (117.3) |
45.7 (114.3) |
45.5 (113.9) |
42.8 (109.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
30.6 (87.1) |
47.4 (117.3) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.7 (69.3) |
22.0 (71.6) |
25.5 (77.9) |
30.6 (87.1) |
36.1 (97.0) |
38.6 (101.5) |
39.7 (103.5) |
39.6 (103.3) |
37.7 (99.9) |
34.0 (93.2) |
28.0 (82.4) |
22.9 (73.2) |
31.3 (88.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.5 (63.5) |
18.4 (65.1) |
21.3 (70.3) |
26.0 (78.8) |
31.1 (88.0) |
34.0 (93.2) |
35.1 (95.2) |
35.1 (95.2) |
33.2 (91.8) |
29.9 (85.8) |
24.6 (76.3) |
19.7 (67.5) |
27.2 (81.0) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
15.4 (59.7) |
18.1 (64.6) |
22.4 (72.3) |
27.2 (81.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.4 (88.5) |
31.5 (88.7) |
29.5 (85.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
21.6 (70.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
23.7 (74.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | −5 (23) |
7.2 (45.0) |
7.8 (46.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
18.7 (65.7) |
22.7 (72.9) |
25.2 (77.4) |
26.0 (78.8) |
23.5 (74.3) |
18.8 (65.8) |
12.1 (53.8) |
6.4 (43.5) |
−5 (23) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18.1 (0.71) |
13.0 (0.51) |
14.7 (0.58) |
5.8 (0.23) |
0.5 (0.02) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (0.04) |
16.8 (0.66) |
15.2 (0.60) |
85.1 (3.35) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 12.6 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
69.1 | 67.2 | 61.5 | 54.4 | 47.6 | 46.2 | 50.7 | 58.0 | 59.2 | 62.3 | 63.6 | 68.7 | 59.0 |
Average dew point °C (°F) | 11.5 (52.7) |
11.8 (53.2) |
13.1 (55.6) |
15.8 (60.4) |
17.9 (64.2) |
19.9 (67.8) |
22.5 (72.5) |
25.0 (77.0) |
23.7 (74.7) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.0 (62.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 231.5 | 220.6 | 245.1 | 256.3 | 316.4 | 343.7 | 336.6 | 334.1 | 315.9 | 306.0 | 249.0 | 235.4 | 3,390.4 |
Source: NOAA[4][5] |
Area and boundaries
Area:
total:780 km2
country comparison to the world: 188
- land:780 km2
- water: 0 km2
Area comparative
- Washington D.C.
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims:
- territorial sea: 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi)
- contiguous zone: 24 nmi (44.4 km; 27.6 mi)
- continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
Elevation extremes:
- lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
- highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan122 m
Resources and land use
Natural resources:
- oil, associated and non associated natural gas, fish, pearls
Land use:
- arable land: 2.11%
- permanent crops: 3.95%
- other: 93.95% (2012)
Irrigated land: 40.15 km2 (2003)
Total renewable water resources: 0.12 m³ (2011)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
- total: 0.36 km3/yr (50%/6%/45%)
- per capita: 386 m³/yr (2003)
Environmental concerns
Natural hazards:
periodic droughts; dust storms
Environment - current issues:
desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; lack of freshwater resources (groundwater and seawater are the only sources for all water needs)
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
See also
Notes
- Etymology of Bahrain.
- ^ OCLC 29548413. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.)
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link - ^ Faroughy, Abbas. 1951. The Bahrein Islands (750-1951): A Contribution to the Study of Power Politics in the Persian Gulf. New York: Verry, Fisher & Co. Pages 14-15.
- ^ "Bahrain International Airport Climate Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
- ^ "41150: Bahrain International Airport (Bahrain)". ogimet.com. OGIMET. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
References
- This article incorporates public domain material from "Bahrain". CIA.
Further reading
- Cooper, Robert. Bahrain. OCLC 1105750616.
- الله., محمد، سعيد عبد (1993). طيور البحرين والخليج العربي. Markaz al-Baḥrayn lil-Dirāsāt wa-al-Buḥūth. OCLC 39133593.